b. 12th January 1946, San Rafael, California, U.S.A.
George Duke is a fine producer, who had a previous pedigree as a fine musician in his own right, but chose the background role more increasingly in the last two decades.
He was aged four when musically inspired at a Duke Ellington concert.
Another favourite was Les McCann.
George worked with a trio in San Francisco during the mid-'60s.
Taking up the piano shortly afterwards, he had turned professional before he left high school.
He played in a rock group before joining a Latin band called Jaxx Co-Op.
Moving to San Francisco, he led a resident jazz trio at a local nightclub while studying at the San Francisco Conservatory where he majored in trombone and composition.
He spent three years touring as pianist with Al Jarreau before discovering the electric piano and working with Jean-Luc Ponty.
Overheard by Frank Zappa in 1969, George was invited to join The Mothers Of Invention.
In 1970, he replaced Joe Zawinul in Cannonball Adderly's band, rejoining Mothers Of Invention in 1972, when Frank Zappa encouraged George to develop his vocals and work with synthesizers.
This he did, primarily as a session player while forming the Cobham / Duke Band with Billy Cobham and signing to Atlantic for 'Funky Side Of Things' and 'Life And Times.'
By the mid-70's he had signed with the MPS label where his albums were 'The Aura Will Prevail' (1975) and 'Liberated Fantasies' (1976) before he switched to Epic and began to make an impact on what was to become the UK jazz-funk scene.
His Epic albums included 'From Me To You' (1977), including 'Scuse Me Miss', 'Reach For lt' (1977), 'Don't Let Go' (1978), 'Follow The Rainbow (1979), including 'Party Down' and 'Say That You Will', 'Master Of The Game' (1979), including 'I Want You For Myself'; 'A Brazilian Love Affair' (1980), the title track being a U K Top 40 hit, 'Dream On' (1982), 'Guardian Of Light' (1983), and 'Rendezvous' (1984).
Also at Epic he recorded with Stanley Clarke as the Clarke / Duke Project on three albums.
In 1985 he switched to Elektra for 'Thief In The Night' (1985) and George Duke (1986).
As a producer he worked consistently through the 70's and '80's with artists including Flora Purim ('Carry On', 1979), Dee Dee Bridgewater ('Bad For Me', 1979), The Blackbyrds ('Better Days', 1980), Jeffrey Osborne ('Jeffrey Osborne', 1982, 'Stay With Me Tonight', 1983 and 'Don't Stop', 1984), Rufus ('Take It To The Top'), Raul De Souza ('Sweet Lucy' and 'Don't Ask My Neighbours'), Deniece Williams ('I'm So Proud', 1983, and 'Let's Hear It For The Boy', 1984), Angela Bofill ('Tell Me Tomorrow', 1985), Seawind, Howard Hewett, Larry Graham, Smokey Robinson, Sister Sledge ('Smile'), Stephanie Mills, Anita Baker and 101 North.
As a session player he has recorded with numerous artists including Sarah Vaughan, Aretha Franklin, Quincy Jones, T-Connection, Airto and The Whispers.
He has also written a movie soundtrack, 'The Heavenly Kid', and a three-part opera which he hopes a record company will release one day along with music for a ballet that he wants to compose.
In 2000, he returned with a new album 'Cool', which was well received by the critics.
Albums:
Live in L.A. (Sunset 1971)
Feel (MPS 1974)
Faces in Reflection (MPS 1974)
I Love the Blues: She Heard My Cry (Polydor 1976)
The Aura Will Prevail (BASF 1976)
Liberated Fantasies (BASF 1976)
Live: On Tour in Europe (Atlantic 1976)
Solo Keyboard Album (Epic 1976)
Reach For It (Epic 1977)
From Me To You (Epic 1977)
Pacific Jazz (UA 1978)
Don't Let Go (Epic 1978)
Follow That Rainbow (Epic 1979)
Master of the Game (Epic 1979)Brazilian Love Affair (Epic 1980)
Clarke/Duke Project, Vol. 1 (Epic 1981)
Clarke/Duke Project 2 (Epic 1983)
Secret Rendezvous (Epic 1983)
Guardian of the Light (Epic 1983)
Night After Night (Elektra 1989)
Dream On (Epic 1991)
Snapshot (Warner Brothers 1992)
Muir Woods Suite (Warner Brothers 1993)
Three Originals (Polygram 1994)
Rendezvous (Sony 1995)
Illusions (Warner Brothers 1995)
Is Love Enough? (Warner Brothers 1997)
After Hours (Warner Brothers 1998)
Cool (Warner Brothers 2000)
Face The Music (Warner Brothers 2002)
Duke (Dome Records 2005)
In A Mellow Tone (Dome Records 2006)
